Date of Award

Fall 2025

Project Type

Dissertation

Program or Major

Chemistry

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

First Advisor

Samuel Pazicni

Second Advisor

Christopher Bauer

Third Advisor

Charles Zercher

Abstract

The first chapter addresses the validity and reliability of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) as a tool for chemistry education research. The study shows that the original MSLQ did not meet modern standards of reliability and presents a modified version that better captures self-efficacy in chemistry-specific contexts. The revised instrument shows improved model fit, reinforcing the importance of refining assessment tools for chemistry education research.The effects of prior knowledge and self-efficacy on student performance in a first-semester general chemistry course are investigated in the second chapter. Self-efficacy, defined as a learner's belief in their capability to successfully accomplish specific academic tasks, has been widely recognized as a predictor of student success across multiple scientific disciplines. This study examines the relationship between self-efficacy and prior chemistry knowledge and explores whether self-efficacy can serve a role in compensating for systemic issues that result in poor academic preparation. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was the primary tool for measuring students’ self-efficacy, along with a modified version of the Chemical Concept Inventory to assess prior knowledge. A confirmatory factor analysis was used as evidence for the validity of the MSLQ. Using a sample of undergraduate students enrolled in a general chemistry course at an R1 university, this study used regression modeling to test both mediation and moderation effects of self-efficacy on the relationship between prior knowledge and exam scores. Findings indicate that both self-efficacy and prior knowledge independently predict exam performance. Prior knowledge strongly correlated with performance on the first exam, supporting its role as a key factor in predicting academic achievement. However, self-efficacy also contributed significantly, and the analysis reveals that students with high self-efficacy can partially compensate for lower prior knowledge, performing as well as or better than their peers with greater prior knowledge but lower self-efficacy. This suggests that interventions aimed at improving students’ confidence and persistence could mitigate gaps in conceptual knowledge. The third chapter examines how students interact with their chemistry textbooks. Despite being a traditional study resource, textbooks are among the least frequently utilized materials, with students favoring lecture notes, online resources, and practice problems. The study identified financial barriers, lack of instructor emphasis, and the perception of textbooks as ineffective as primary reasons for their underuse. This has implications for instructional design, suggesting that integrating textbook-based assignments or promoting open-access resources may enhance engagement with the textbook if that is a goal of the instructor.

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